Lenovo announces the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch, available now for $1,399 and up

We can't say we're surprised by this news, seeing as how Lenovo leaked it on its own site three weeks ago. Still, it's nice to get official confirmation, isn't it? Like we told you, Lenovo is releasing a touchscreen version of the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Ultrabook, appropriately called the X1 Carbon Touch. And, as expected, it's on sale this month. Today, actually, starting at $1,399 -- a $150 premium over the non-touch model. Like the regular X1 Carbon, it has a 14-inch, 1,600 x 900 screen, a carbon fiber chassis, an Ivy Bridge chipset, built-in 3G and a backlit ThinkPad keyboard, complete with that signature red pointing stick.

The main difference is that the touchscreen makes this a bit thicker and heavier (20.8mm and "less than" 3.5 pounds, versus three pounds and 18mm thick for the non-touch model). Even then, 3.4 pounds is still lighter than some 13-inch Ultrabooks we've seen. In fact, Lenovo is billing it as the world's lightest 14-inch Ultrabook, though we all know how short-lived such distinctions are. As for battery life, Lenovo rates this for 8.2 hours of runtime. If true, that would be very good news indeed, given that we've yet to test a touchscreen Ultrabook with decent battery life.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – December 11, 2012: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch, optimized for Windows 8 and now adds touch experience to the industry's leading business class Ultrabook. The X1 Carbon and X1 Carbon Touch are developed from superior grade carbon fibre and deliver legendary durability and the highest levels of performance. The new X1 Carbon Touch paves the way for mobile professionals who demand the best in mobility and entertainment and want to experience the simplicity of touch gesture control.

"Bringing touch gesture control to our best ThinkPad ever is a natural evolution of the portfolio and a big step towards fulfilling our promise to bring computers into a new PC+ era," said Peter Hortensius, president, Lenovo Product Group. "We are excited to be able to offer customers the best experience in a thin and light business class Ultrabook. The X1 Carbon Touch is the Ultrabook to beat."

The X1 Carbon Touch – The World's Lightest 14" Touch Notebook Weighing in at a svelte 3.4 pounds and just 20.8mm thin, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch is constructed with carbon fiber material that provides strength and durability beyond traditional notebook materials. You can interact naturally with smooth 10 finger touch on the vibrant 14 inch HD+ display and further enrich your Windows 8 experience using the large multi-gesture glass touchpad. Even with its thin and light design, the X1 Carbon Touch packs a punch. Revel in the power of Intel Core i5 and i7 processors and enjoy multimedia content with Dolby Home Theatre v4. Certified as the first Ultrabook optimized for MS Lync, the HD face tracking camera and dual array microphones ensure high quality video and voice track capability without the need to use USB peripherals.

For the true mobile warrior, a new optional slim 65W AC adapter is now offered as the perfect companion for your new X1 Carbon Touch. At just 17mm thin and weighing 53% less (235g) than the standard AC adapter, it fits neatly into your bag and gives you maximum portability as you travel with the world's lightest 14" ultrabook.

For the business user the X1 Carbon Touch provides peace of mind for any situation with state of the art security and manageability including vPro, Integrated Fingerprint Reader, Trusted Platform Module and BIOS encryption. Lenovo's RapidCharge technology provides the industry's fastest charge times while the 8 hours of battery life and optional 3G connectivity ensures maximum productivity virtually anywhere.

Pricing and Availability The ThinkPad X1 Carbon Touch will be available starting in December through business partners and www.lenovo.com. Models start at approximately $1399.

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